Pedro: Sarri has Chelsea playing like Guardiola's Barcelona

Chelsea are “better than last season”, according to Pedro, with Maurizio Sarri having got the Blues playing a similar style to the Barcelona side which enjoyed so much success under Pep Guardiola.

The Stamford Bridge outfit have struggled for consistency over recent years, with two Premier League title triumphs followed by humbling tumbles out of the top four.

Another change in the dugout was made over the summer in an effort to get back on an upward curve, with Antonio Conte handing the managerial baton to fellow Italian Sarri .

Six successive victories across all competitions have been delivered under a new coach, with Pedro among those to have noticed a marked improvement from 2017-18.

The Spain international forward told the Mirror: "The team is better than last season.

"This coach has a very good idea to press, to attack, to play, to have more ­players between the lines, to create chances, and to play with a lot of possession of the ball. This is very good.

"With Sarri we are running a lot but it is different because all the time you press really high. With Antonio, we were maybe more compact but we defended always in our own half.

"That means that when you recover the ball to attack, you have a very long way to the ­opposition goal. With Sarri, when you recover the ball you are in very good position to attack. You are close to the goal to score, to create chances.

"It is the most important thing and the most important ­difference from last season to this season. It is a very good change for the team. You can see it is ­better from the results we are getting."

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So impressed has Pedro been with Sarri’s impact in west London that he believes comparisons can be drawn with a legendary side that he formed past of in the past.

The World Cup winner, as a graduate of the famed La Masia academy system in Catalunya, starred for Barcelona as they changed the face of football with a ‘tiki-taka’ mantra under current Manchester City boss Guardiola.

Pedro sees similarities between that system and the one implemented at Chelsea , saying of Sarri’s approach: "It is really the same idea as Barcelona under Pep Guardiola.

"They are very similar in their ideas, their attacking ideas are the same."

Sarri will be looking for his methods to deliver another positive result on Sunday when Chelsea make the short trip across London to take in a derby date with West Ham .